Fuse-setting machine



' ..30 1 Aug l 927 G. w. BEAT-rv FUSE SETTING MACHINEA Filed March 29, 1926- Y 3 Sheets-Sheet'lum NS Aug. 30. 1927.

G, w. BEATTY FUSE SETTING' MACHINE 3 Sheets-Shea@I 2 Filed March 29. 1926 @l Wwf Aug. 30,1527.

1,640,392 G. w. BEA-rw 'FUSE SETTING MACHINE Filed March 29, 192e 5 sheets-sheet s Patented Aug. 30, 1927.`

TE l F l GEORGE W. BEATTY, 0F DECATUR, ILLINOIS.

FUSE-SETTIN G MACHINE.

Application filed March 29, 1926.

Serial No. 98,286.

This invention relates to a fuse setting machine of the type which is provided with two relatively rotatable adjusting members, ak crank for independently rotating the member which is coupled to the time ring of the fuse and a worm gear for rotating they other member which is coupled to a ixed part of the fuse. The adjustment of Vthe fuse is effected by causing the time Vring adjusting member tov carry out two complete revolutions whilethe other member is either stationary or may be under continuous operation. l In the vknown devices of this character the crank is accustomed to be manually released while no positive means are provided for preventing more than two revolutions. 'These defects make'it possible to secure inaccurate fuse settings which condition is a matter of serious moment in anti-aircraft gunner-y because of the very short period during which targets of this character remain in range.

With ra view to correcting these defects, the fuse setting machine of the present invention is arranged to be normally locked against operation until the insertion of a` round automatically unlocks the crank which is then positively restricted to its setting movement as long as the round remains in the machine. Correspondingly the removal of the round permits the unlocking mechanism to be restored to normal position. Such an arrangement also enables the continuous adjustment or' the memberconnected to the fixed part of the fuse irrespective of the movement of the crank and provision isV made whereby the adjustment may take place in either direction to increase or decrease the 'fuse setting.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed; it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of vthe invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope ot what-is claimed without depart-ing from the spirit of the invention. A practical embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view of my improved fuse setter with a round inserted therein and the crank unlocked;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the normal disposition of the parts when the round is removed and the crank is in position of rest;

Fig. 3 is a plan view; v A

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is an end view;

Figsv and 7 are sectional views respectivily on the lines 6--6 and 7 7 of Fig. l; an

Fig. 8 is a side view of the time fuse for which the machine is designed.

Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference:

The fuse setter consists essentially ot' a housing 4 in which two adjusting members 5 and 6 are independently rotatable about the axis ot' the machine. The member 5 is adapted to be coupled to thel adjustable part of the fuse, namely, the rotatable ring 7, while the member 6 is adapted to be coupled to a fixed part of the fuse, for example, the base 8; For the purpose of coupling the adjusting members to the corresponding parts of the fuse, the members 5 and 6 are each provided-with a pair of spaced oppositely disposed bell crank levers7 respectively 5a and 6"l for 'engaging corresponding lugs 7a and 8a on the respective parts of the fuse. The levers of each set are so formed with relation to theadjusting mem` bers that a single spring 5b or 6b, whose ends are engaged in arms of the levers, serves to yieldingly hold the levers in lug engaging position. If when the fuse is introduced into the machine the lugs are located in proximity to the lug engaging ends ofthe levers they will strike the beveled surfaces 5c or 6c of one ot the levers and thuseffect their entry or prepare. themselves for entry between the spaced ends of the levers.

In `order that the fuse setter may be ca pable of engaging and setting the fuse irrespective of the position of the lugs with respect to each other, or to the machine; the adjusting member 5 is directly connected to a crank 9 for. rotating the member whose levers 5a are thus caused to pick up the lug WL on the time ring and place it in a predetermined position While at the saine time a rotational movement will be imparted to the 2' round until'the liz-:ed lug on the base of the fuse snaps into engagement With the 'levers oi' the adjusting member 6. ln order to 1nsure that the round will be rotated sui' ficiently for the liXed lug to pick up the levers on the member '6, it is necessary to' move the crank through tivo complete revolutions, and it is this circumstance that gives rise to certain of the improvements of the` present machine.

However, before taking up such featuresv ly manipulate the Worm to change the fuse setting sof that any lchange in fuse range Which may be announced to the fuse range operato;l may be imparted to the fuse as long as the round remains in the machine.

Disposed axially Within the adjusting 3 member 5 is a spring pressed plunger llconstrained to be rotated with said member by means oir' a pin 1-2 disposed in a slot 13 in the member and normally held in the position shown in Fig.. 2.

with a concave face 1l for receiving the nose ot the fuse and when the round is fully inserted it forces the plunger to the position shown in Fig. 1. Mounted loosely on the shank of the plunger, but held against longitudinal movement by a combined guide and stop member for the plunger is a ring 16 provided with an arm 16a disposedin a slot 17 in the member 5. The arm is formed with a cam face 16h so that When the plunger is retracted on being struck by a round, the arm Will actuate a cam follower or bolt 18 mounted in thehousing 4: perpendicular to the axis oi' the adjusting member 5 and norinally held depressed by a spring 19 into the slot 17 of the member.l

Associated with the bolt is a spring pressed latch.20 engageable in a recess 21 formed in a plate 22 on the crank for the purpose of holding the crank in position of rest. l.lhen the cam arm 16a raises the bolt, the latch mounted therein Will accordingly be moved from its recess in the crank Which is then free to be turned. Tnasmuch as the crank is to be uninterruptedly Voperated through tivo revolutions, some means must be provided to hold the latch and bolt in the elevated position clear ot the plate 22 on the crank and the cam arm 1:6a of the adjusting .ieinber 5 (see Fig. 1) at the commencement of the second turn of the crank. This may The plunger is formed be accomplished by means of a Geneva Wheel 23 pivotally secured to the housing and arranged to be given a quarter turn by means oi: a pin 24 on the crank Where it is heldr against spinning by a plunger 25 engageable in correspondingly' spaced recesses in the Wheel. This arrangement causes the large toot-h on the Geneva Wheel to be moved into position to engage and -hold the bolt and latch in the' elevated position during the iirst revolution of the crank and by the same mechanism, that is, by the pin 24 the Wheel will be tripped. at the commencement of the second revolution to present the short tooth of the Geneva Wheel under the bolt, so that the latch 20 will be free to drop into thel path of the plate 2,2. Consequently asv the crank is terminating its second revolution, the bevel tace 2v2a on the plate 22 strikes the latch Which is retracted and brought up against the stop shoulder 22b on the plate inY a position Where itv immediately snaps intov the recess 21 to positively limit the lInovement ot the crank. The bolt 18 and adjusting member 5 are also organized so as to insure rthe arresting of the cranky at the propermoment. As seen most clearly in Fig, l1 the member 5 is .formed With a groove 26 so that as the crank and member 5 are approaching the termination of their setting movement, the Geneva Wheel having been tripped to release the bolt, the bolt is free to follow this groove until the` cam arm 16a rotating with the adjusting member 5 comes up against it as indicated in dotted A'lines in Fig. 1. This is the position ot' rest of the crank and when thus brought up the member 5 has been rotated to position the lug on the rotatable time ring of the fuse at the predetermined point` To 'lully restore the mechanism to initial position the round is remove-d, whereupon the plunger is automatically restored to initial position `(Fig. 2'), and by the action of the Vtorsion .spring 27 the ring 16 is slightly rotated until the .arm 16 is brought up against the edge-olf the slot 17 in the member 5 41,)j Whe-re it willv be lined up With the bolt so that upon introduction of the succeeding round it will again raise the bolt in repeating the cycle.

During the initial mov-ement of the crank lthe plunger 11 by reason of its connection With-the member 5k through the pin 12 and its connection with the ringy 16 through the torsion spring 27, will immediately be moved out from under-.the bolt and as the Geneva Wheel has notyet been actuated to retain the bolt in the elevated position the bolt and vvithA i-t the latch would instantly be lowered by its spring 19,r to engage in front of the face 28 delining the slot in member 5. To avoid this, the plate 22 on the crank is eX- tended to .support the latch until the member 5 Iis moved suiiiciently to pass under the bolt whence the bolt will be held elevated by riding on the periphery of the adjusting member until such time as the Geneva wheel is brought into operation. 1

In using the machine tol set a fuse. the

operator of the crank maintains a pressure thereon so that as soon as a round is inserted he will immediately turn the crank through two revolutions after which it is positively arrested and can not again be actuated until the round is removed and a new round introduced. The fuse range operator in the meantime is engaged in continuously manipulating the adjusting member 6 according to the announced range and consequently the fuse is in continuous adjustment until the round is removed from the machine preparatory to inserting it in the chamber of the Gun. b The bolt 18 does not necessarily have to be associated with the adjusting member in so far as its function of unlocking the latch is concerned. It could be independent of any coordinate action with this adjusting member and the cam 16a could likewise be directly formed on the plunger.

I claim:

l. A fuse setting machine embodying an adjusting member formed with a slot and a groove, a crank for driving the same, a spring pressed bolt normally positioned in the slot of the adjusting member, a spring pressed latch in the bolt and normally engaging the crank, a plunger within the adjusting member adapted to be retracted when struck by a round introduced into the machine, a member mounted on the plunger and having a cam arm disposed in the slot of the adjusting member, said arm adapted to disengage the bolt and latch when the plunger is retracted, means whereby the bolt is prevented from entering the slot on the first revolution of the crank and adjusting member, said means 4rendered inoperative as the crank commences its second revolution to 'permit the bolt and latch to function and means for restoring the cam arm to initial position when the plunger is released by withdrawal of the round.

2. A fuse setting machine embodying a rotatable adjusting member, a bolt normally engaged with the adjusting member to prevent movement thereof, a plunger within the adjusting member adapted to be retracted when struck by a round introduced into the machine, a cam member mounted on the plunger for movement with the adjusting member, said cam member adapted to disengage the bolt when the plunger is retracted, means whereby the bolt is held disengaged during the first revolution of the adjusting member, said means rendered inoperative during the second revolution of said member to permit re-engagement of the i bolt and means for restoring the cam member to initial position-when the plunger is released 'by'withdrawal of the round.

3. A fuse setting machine embodying a rotatable adjusting member, a bolt normally engaged with the adjusting member to prevent movement thereof, a plunger rotatable with the adjusting member and adapted `to be retracted when struck by a roundintroduced into the machine, means carried by the plunger for disengaging the bolt when the plunger is retracted and means whereby the bolt may arrest the adjusting member on termination of the setting movement.

4. A fuse setting machine embodying a rotatable adjusting member, a bolt normally engaged with the adjusting member to prevent movement thereof, a plunger adapted to be retracted when struck by a round introduced into the machine, means carried by the plunger for disengaging the bolt when the plunger is retracted and means whereby the bolt lis subsequently released into the path of the adjusting member while the plunger is retracted.

5. A fuse setting machine embodying a rotatable adjusting member, a bolt normally engaged with the adjusting member to prevent movement thereof, a plunger adapted to be retracted when struck by a round introduced into the machine, andmeans carried by the plunger for disengagingthe bolt when the plunger is retracted.

6. A fuse setting machine embodying a rotatable adjusting member, a bolt for normally holding said member against movement, means for holding the bolt in disengaged position during the first revolution of the adjusting member and means Whereby said bolt is released to limit said member to two revolutions.

7. A fuse setting machine embodying a rotatable adjusting member, a bolt for normally holding said member againstmovement, means actuated by a round for disengaging the bolt, and means for holding it disengaged, said means rendered inoperative after a predetermined angular movement is imparted to the adjusting member.

8. A fuse setting machine embodying a rotatable adjusting member, a bolt for normally holding said member against movement, means actuated by a round for disengaging the bolt and means for holding it disengaged, said means rendered inoperative through movement of the adjusting member to permit Ireengagement of the bolt.

9. A fuse setting machine embodying a rotatable adjusting member, locking means for normally holding said member against izo movement and round actuated means within w the adjusting member for disengaging the locking means.

10. A fuse setting machine embodying a rotatable adjusting member, locking means for normally holding said member against movement and round actuated 'means ro- 12. 'A usesettinggmaehme'embodying a tatable With the adjusting ymemberI for di'srotatableadjusting member, a pair of spaced fo engaging the locking means. inse engaging members mounted in said 11. A fuse settingmaehine embodying a adjusting member and a single Spring for 5" rotatable adjusting member,.loel'ing means holding both of said engaging members in for normally holding said member against driving position. v movement and round .actuated means yfor disengaging the locking means. l l 5 i v GEORGE W. BETTY 

